A heap. That’s all I could say about this place in Madison.
I had been down to here once before with my former associate Tim, but I don’t seem to remember there being this much of debris in the streets. Though it doesn’t surprise me all that much with having to deal with the locals around here. Almost being robbed by a weird homeless woman named Joye was bad enough, but now with the sun setting we might also be out of a place to call for the night.
“Ah! There’s the market! At least that Joye woman didn’t get us even more lost with her direction sense…” mentioned Floyd.
The marketplace, rightly named the Capital Square Market, was rather bustling even if the sun was meant to be setting soon.
“Might want to be careful,” I warn to everyone, “Most of the ‘honest’ merchants here are already left or will be very shortly.”
“Well, whatever the case, I think anyone will do at this point Lawrence” said Saul.
“True. However dealing with people after nightfall is neither a good or safe idea. Most are swindlers or might even have a few ‘friends’ after the nights end following you.”
The rest of the group looks at me and begins to look around at the people filing in and out of the marketplace.
“Still,” said Saul with a tone of frustration, “It’s getting dark and our top concern is to get somewhere like an inn, because if not we’d have to spend the night on the street.”
“Why don’t we just buy some supplies and maybe move back to that large warehouse that we went pass awhile ago?” I suggested.
Saul looks back at me flustered, “Still don’t like the dark all that much, you know… Rather just be in a safe inn where we don’t have to watch out for other people…”
“Lawrence should either way try and talk with someone. If we don’t soon it wouldn’t really matter what we plan to do” mentioned Floyd.
I frown, knowing that it’s the truth that with me being a merchant, I’m very good at socializing and getting the better deals out of other people. It’s an amazing talent to have when just slashing at each other with swords or firing guns wouldn’t make all that much sense.
We move past the dwindling crowd coming out of the market and join the few stragglers around to see if there’s anywhere that we might be able to sleep for the night.
“An inn?” Said one young man in about these early twenties. “ I don’t know myself, my apologies. I’ve only recently got here myself after my last export. Maybe you can try down there by the reddish tent in front of the building over there? I thought I saw a sign or something about an inn or a meeting for the inn keepers, not to sure.”
If thinking the street was crowded now, then the tent here must have been where everyone had left to go to. The tent was raging with men of a very husky builds, with flasks of beer in their hands. Must have been some sort of celebration, unless this was a nightly thing. I had heard innkeepers made a good amount of coin, but I didn’t think they had this much to waste on celebrations.
I looked back at the group and they seem to tell me with their eyes: “Go on...”
I walk in and try to find the one burly keeper who didn’t have a drink stuck to his lips. It’s an older proverb I had picked up in a very old trading book about taverns that mentioned, “To drink as little liquor as the master of a lively bar”. This meant that the owner of this event or tent would be the one most sober. After a few minutes of looking I found such a man in the middle of the crowd making acquaintances and connections.
“Hello sir,” I say with the politest tone and smile on my face, “Might you be owner of this party?”
The man turns around and smiles back with a chuckle, “I might be, who be asking me of such a question?”
“My trading alias is Lawrence, or more formally Lawrence Kraft. I’m asking as I need some information that you might be able to help with.”
“Oh ho! Seems we have a merchant in our presence! What are you going to do, try and swindle me with your silverfish tongue?”
“Listen close and you won’t be fooled then. Would you might have room that you could spare for my group and I?” I look back over at rest of them to telling them to head over to me.
“Most of the rooms that we have are actually full, though for about 5 value coins I might reconsider haha!”
“But that’s way too much! There is no way we’d have enough for that!” retorted Saul.
“Then it looks like you’re out of luck then little one” the older man said down to Saul for being as young as he is. Saul looks down, as if flustered by the interaction.
“Then might you have any information about where we could stay? Maybe anything related to the Lorekeepers?” whispers Saul after his embarrassment.
“Can’t help you with that either unless you want to pay, haha…” You could now hear that a few of the other members of the event were listening in and laughing along with him.
I move closer to him, moving straight up to his face and personal space. I look at him directly into his eyes (which he was a bit taller then me.) and stood without fear. I notice a few other members came over and it quickly becomes a one to five group confrontation.
Our eyes met and we stared heavily at each other without hesitation. This was a fools’ gambit if I happen to get shut down for it.
“Haha! No fear I see! That’s what I love about you merchants, a bit more fearlessness than cowardness, like those Lorekeepers that you speak of!” chuckled the lead inn owner.
“What do you mean cowardness! They aren’t…” complained Saul.
“They're underground now! They chose to hide from this world and be comforted by there own views of history. I don’t believe this is what should be done and rather to fight for a future and what you want, like that young man over there” he fingers over in my general direction.
“However, if you wanted to go looking, they would be more willing to help you and let to stay for the night, perhaps even more.”
“We appreciate the information sir.” I said handing him a small copper coin for his help.
“Keep the coin lad,” he said, “better to keep something in your pocket rather then in someone else’s.”
I had been down to here once before with my former associate Tim, but I don’t seem to remember there being this much of debris in the streets. Though it doesn’t surprise me all that much with having to deal with the locals around here. Almost being robbed by a weird homeless woman named Joye was bad enough, but now with the sun setting we might also be out of a place to call for the night.
“Ah! There’s the market! At least that Joye woman didn’t get us even more lost with her direction sense…” mentioned Floyd.
The marketplace, rightly named the Capital Square Market, was rather bustling even if the sun was meant to be setting soon.
“Might want to be careful,” I warn to everyone, “Most of the ‘honest’ merchants here are already left or will be very shortly.”
“Well, whatever the case, I think anyone will do at this point Lawrence” said Saul.
“True. However dealing with people after nightfall is neither a good or safe idea. Most are swindlers or might even have a few ‘friends’ after the nights end following you.”
The rest of the group looks at me and begins to look around at the people filing in and out of the marketplace.
“Still,” said Saul with a tone of frustration, “It’s getting dark and our top concern is to get somewhere like an inn, because if not we’d have to spend the night on the street.”
“Why don’t we just buy some supplies and maybe move back to that large warehouse that we went pass awhile ago?” I suggested.
Saul looks back at me flustered, “Still don’t like the dark all that much, you know… Rather just be in a safe inn where we don’t have to watch out for other people…”
“Lawrence should either way try and talk with someone. If we don’t soon it wouldn’t really matter what we plan to do” mentioned Floyd.
I frown, knowing that it’s the truth that with me being a merchant, I’m very good at socializing and getting the better deals out of other people. It’s an amazing talent to have when just slashing at each other with swords or firing guns wouldn’t make all that much sense.
We move past the dwindling crowd coming out of the market and join the few stragglers around to see if there’s anywhere that we might be able to sleep for the night.
“An inn?” Said one young man in about these early twenties. “ I don’t know myself, my apologies. I’ve only recently got here myself after my last export. Maybe you can try down there by the reddish tent in front of the building over there? I thought I saw a sign or something about an inn or a meeting for the inn keepers, not to sure.”
If thinking the street was crowded now, then the tent here must have been where everyone had left to go to. The tent was raging with men of a very husky builds, with flasks of beer in their hands. Must have been some sort of celebration, unless this was a nightly thing. I had heard innkeepers made a good amount of coin, but I didn’t think they had this much to waste on celebrations.
I looked back at the group and they seem to tell me with their eyes: “Go on...”
I walk in and try to find the one burly keeper who didn’t have a drink stuck to his lips. It’s an older proverb I had picked up in a very old trading book about taverns that mentioned, “To drink as little liquor as the master of a lively bar”. This meant that the owner of this event or tent would be the one most sober. After a few minutes of looking I found such a man in the middle of the crowd making acquaintances and connections.
“Hello sir,” I say with the politest tone and smile on my face, “Might you be owner of this party?”
The man turns around and smiles back with a chuckle, “I might be, who be asking me of such a question?”
“My trading alias is Lawrence, or more formally Lawrence Kraft. I’m asking as I need some information that you might be able to help with.”
“Oh ho! Seems we have a merchant in our presence! What are you going to do, try and swindle me with your silverfish tongue?”
“Listen close and you won’t be fooled then. Would you might have room that you could spare for my group and I?” I look back over at rest of them to telling them to head over to me.
“Most of the rooms that we have are actually full, though for about 5 value coins I might reconsider haha!”
“But that’s way too much! There is no way we’d have enough for that!” retorted Saul.
“Then it looks like you’re out of luck then little one” the older man said down to Saul for being as young as he is. Saul looks down, as if flustered by the interaction.
“Then might you have any information about where we could stay? Maybe anything related to the Lorekeepers?” whispers Saul after his embarrassment.
“Can’t help you with that either unless you want to pay, haha…” You could now hear that a few of the other members of the event were listening in and laughing along with him.
I move closer to him, moving straight up to his face and personal space. I look at him directly into his eyes (which he was a bit taller then me.) and stood without fear. I notice a few other members came over and it quickly becomes a one to five group confrontation.
Our eyes met and we stared heavily at each other without hesitation. This was a fools’ gambit if I happen to get shut down for it.
“Haha! No fear I see! That’s what I love about you merchants, a bit more fearlessness than cowardness, like those Lorekeepers that you speak of!” chuckled the lead inn owner.
“What do you mean cowardness! They aren’t…” complained Saul.
“They're underground now! They chose to hide from this world and be comforted by there own views of history. I don’t believe this is what should be done and rather to fight for a future and what you want, like that young man over there” he fingers over in my general direction.
“However, if you wanted to go looking, they would be more willing to help you and let to stay for the night, perhaps even more.”
“We appreciate the information sir.” I said handing him a small copper coin for his help.
“Keep the coin lad,” he said, “better to keep something in your pocket rather then in someone else’s.”